The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of The First Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:FBMS - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the four brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $37.17.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on FBMS. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of First Bancshares from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Janney Montgomery Scott downgraded shares of First Bancshares from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on First Bancshares in a research report on Saturday, December 7th. They issued a "sell" rating on the stock.

First Bancshares Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FBMS traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $36.17. 66,128 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 184,415. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. First Bancshares has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $39.08. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.37 and a beta of 0.93.

First Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. First Bancshares's payout ratio is 45.25%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares in the third quarter valued at approximately $56,256,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 1.9% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 675,448 shares of the bank's stock valued at $21,706,000 after acquiring an additional 12,567 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in First Bancshares by 48.1% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 86,748 shares of the bank's stock valued at $2,787,000 after acquiring an additional 28,184 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of First Bancshares during the 3rd quarter worth $421,000. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of First Bancshares by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 971,246 shares of the bank's stock worth $31,206,000 after purchasing an additional 28,215 shares during the period. 69.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About First Bancshares

The First Bancshares, Inc operates as the bank holding company for The First Bank that provides general commercial and retail banking services. The company operates through three segments: Commercial/Retail Bank, Mortgage Banking Division, and Holding Company. It offers deposit services, including checking, NOW, and savings accounts; other time deposits, such as daily money market accounts and longer-term certificates of deposit; and individual retirement and health savings accounts.